Metal-bending die



(No Model.)

A. AtSTROM.

METAL BENDING DIE.

No. 390,814. Patented Oct. 9, 1888.

NITED STATES ars'r rrrcn.

AXEL A. STROM, OF AUSTIN, ILLINOlS.

METAL-BENDING DIE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 390,814, dated ()ctober 9, 1888.

Application filed August 2, 1888. Serial No. 281,789. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, AXEL A. STROM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Austin, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Metal-Bending Dies, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to the construction of dies, particularly for bending metal bars or plates, and especially for producing cranks of the form used on the spindles of railroad switch stands, on the connecting rods of switches with switch-stands, and thelike.

The object of my improvement is to enable the manufacture of articles such as the cranks referred to to be performed by means of machinery with dies, and without in the operation materially reducing the diameter of the blank in any of its part thereby greatly decreasing the labor and expense of the produc tion; and to this end my invention consistsin the general as well as the specific constructions of my improved dies.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows the construction of the stationary female die and reciprocating male die before the plunger of a reciprocating cross-head, the two dies being in their relative positions at the end of the back-stroke of the plunger, and a blank being shown as adjusted in the female die ready to be operated on by the male die to form a crank. Fig. 2 shows the same dies with the male advanced to the extremity of the forward stroke of the reciprocating plunger, and having in its movement forced the blank into the female die, thereby forming the bend of the crank, from the ends of which project extensions to be subsequently bent to right angles and thus form the spindle portions by the succeeding forward stroke of the plunger,then flanked by suitable bendingdies. Fig. 3 shows the male and the spindle-bending dies advanced to the extremity of the forward stroke of the reciprocating plunger, thereby having formed a complete crank from the blank; and Fig. atis a sec tion taken on the line 4 of Fig. 3 and viewed in the direction of the arrow.

To form cranks by means of my improved dies,lsupport the latter on a suitable bending machine or press, which may be of well-known construction, and need not therefore be described nor shown in the present connection further than to state and show that it involves a horizontal bed, 13,011 the forward end of which the female die D is rigidly secured, and

a reciprocating cross head, B, supported on the bed B, but having a peculiar construction at its forward extremity to adapt it to my purpose, as hereinafter described.

The female die D comprises a solid metal block having formed in one side a recess, r,of the shape of the bent portion of the crank to be formed in it, and preferably conforming, by depression or grooving about its sides, as indicated by the dotted lines as in Figs. 1, 2, and

3 of the drawings, to the cross-section of the blank A, Fig. 1,thus being rounded or concave for the cylind rical metal bar forming the blank, as shown. By preference, and for a purpose hereinafter described, the side of the die D is the projecting .ends of the bent blank (shown in Fig. 2) to the positions shown in Fig. 3.

D is the male die, comprising a head shaped like and adapted to fit accurately within the recess 1", and having a neck, q, and, if required,

coneavities (indicated by dotted lines as") in its sides and front end to coincide with those in the recess, and with the latter to surround the portion of the blank bent into the recess a" when the head is forced entirely into the same.

The forward end of the reciprocating crosshead B is provided centrally with an extension, 1), affording a plunger integral with the cross-head, and which, as I prefer, shall correspond at its end in form and dimensions with the end of the collar g on the head or 0 male die D, and the male die D is not connected with or in any way attached to the plunger, but is separate therefrom, as shown.

To operate the parts thus far described, the

head D is adjusted on the bed of the machine 5 with the base of its collar against the end of the plunger 19, which is in horizontal line with the recess 0' of the die D, rigidly secured to the bed 13, and a metal bar, previously heated,

is placed lengthwise against the forward side rec of the block containing the female die into the concavities x, if the latter are provided.

The forward stroke of the cross-head B causes the plunger 1) to force the head D into the recess 1', thereby also bending the blank A into the same, as illustrated in Fig. 2, and causing the portions a of the bent bar, which project beyond the female die, to extend slightly outward away from the lines of the sides of the bent portion within the recess. The reciprocating cross-head then moves back, leaving the head D in the position in the female die into which it was forced by the plunger with the forward stroke ofthe reciprocating crosshead.

At opposite sides of the base of the plunger 1) the end of the cross-head B has rectangular recesses 0 formed in it to receive the correspondingly-shaped extensions m of rectangular blocks O-two in l'll1I11b61--21ll(l preferably connected by means of a bar, Z. The blocks 0 fit accurately in the respective recesses 0 form ed between the opposite sides of the plungerp and the forward end of the reciprocating crosshead B and extend slightly beyond the extremity of the plunger, thereby practically restoring the end of the cross-head from its n1utilated condition, so to speak, due to the for mation of the plunger and recesses 0 to a rectangular shape; and the forward sides of the blocks 0 may be concaved longitudinally, as indicated by the dotted lines as to coincide with the concavities in the die D. WVhen, after the plunger has forced the head D into the recess 0' and bent the blank A, as described, and to the form shown in Fig. 2, the reciprocating crosshead has reached the end of its back-stroke, the blocks 0 are adjusted (simultaneously, owing to their connection through the medium of the bar Z) into the recesses 0, (see Fig. 2,) and the cross-head B is actuated to make its forward stroke, during which the blocks 0 strike against the inner sides of the extensions a of the bent blank and bend them outward gradually till'they are forced to right angles at the end of the stroke, when they are contained within the coincident concavities m'm"a11d constitutc the spindle portions 12, Fig. 3. If in the bending of the extensions a the strain shall have forced the head D part way out of the recess 9 and dislodged slightly the bent portion of the blank, the head will be met by the plungerp before the completion of the forward stroke and forced back into the female die, im

pelling the bent portion of the blank back into place. The article is thus completed to the form of the crank, Fig. 3, when it is removed by separating the bending-blocks (3, plunger, and male die from the die D, thus preparing the mechanism to receive another blank, A, and operate upon it in the manner described. Thus the cranks may be formed expeditiously and easily, and by having the die D loose, so that it can be left to hold the blank in the die D and prevent displacement or material displacement thereof during the operation of the dies (1, stretching of the metal,and consequent reduction in its diameter, is effectually pre vented, which is the all-im 'lortant advantage of my invention.

hat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination with thcbed B, a die comprising a block, D, having a recess, 9*, and forming a female die, and a loose head, D',conforming in its shape to that of the recess '1, and forming the male die, and a reciprocating crosshead, B, having a plunger, p, and carrying removable bending-lii'locks O, substantially as described.

2. In combination with the bed B, a die comprising a block, D, having agrooved reecss,r, and grooves :0, extending from the sides of the mouth ofthe recess and forminga fenialed ie, and a loose head, D, conforming in its shape to that of the recess 1', and provided with grooves and forming the male die, and a reciprocating cross-head, I3, having a plunger, 1), and carrying removable grooved bcnding'blocks (l, substantially as described.

3. In combination wit-h the bed B, a die comprising the stationary block I), having a grooved recess, 0*, and grooves :0, extending from the sides of the mouth of the recess and forming a female die, and a loose head, D, conforming in its shape to that of the recess 9', and provided with grooves and a neck, q, and forming the male die, and a reciprocating cross-head, B, having a plunger, 19, and recess 0, and grooved blocks G, having extensions m to fit the recesses 0, substantially as described.

AXIEL A. S'lltOM.

'Wi t n csses.

.I. XV. IntmiNron'rn', M. .T. Bownns. 

